Comparison Apple iPad Air 2019 256 GB vs Apple iPad mini 2019 256 GB

— Display diagonal. Size screen dimensions; traditionally indicated in ". Larger screens are easy to view and easy to touch. On the other hand, this parameter directly affects the dimensions, power consumption and price of the entire tablet (the increase in cost is often also due to the fact that a larger screen also requires a higher resolution). Rare birds from the family of modern tablets have 7-" screens; many of them look like slightly enlarged smartphones. Sizes of 8 " and 9 " can be considered basic. 10-" and 11-" diagonals are quite large for a consumer-class tablet; and screens of 12", 13", 14" and more are typical mainly for professional-level models.

– Resolution. Screen resolution on a tablet is the dimensions of the sensor in dots (pixels) horizontally and vertically. Based on this parameter, screens in modern tablets are conventionally divided into three categories: HD, Full HD, 2K and higher. The higher the display resolution, the clearer, more detailed and smoother the image it can reproduce. High resolution is especially important for large diagonal displays. At the same time, it significantly affec...ts the cost - both due to the high price of the screens themselves and due to the increased requirements for system performance.

— PPI. An abbreviation for "points per inch," i.e., "pixels per inch". This setting determines how many pixels are on a 1-" (2.54 cm) line drawn horizontally or vertically across the screen; it directly depends on the resolution and dimensions of the display. In general, the higher the PPI value, the clearer, smoother and, accordingly, the higher quality the picture on the screen will be. And at a certain pixel density, the human eye generally ceases to distinguish individual points, perceiving a completely smoothed image.

— Matrix type. The technology used to make the tablet PC display. Today the following types of matrices are used:

• — TN-Film(Twisted Nematic+Film). The oldest modern technology for manufacturing liquid crystal screens. Such matrices are characterized by a short response time, but have small viewing angles and provide relatively low image quality. For some time they were quite popular due to their low cost, but today they have practically disappeared from the scene due to the development and reduction in cost of more advanced technologies.
• — IPS(In Plane Switching). Such matrices are characterized by excellent color rendering and wide viewing angles in all viewing planes. Initially, they had a fairly long response time and were expensive, but technology does not stand still - improved versions of IPS are “faster” and inexpensive. Thanks to this, this type of sensor is found in all types of tablets, even among budget-class devices.
• — PLS(Plane to Line Switching). A type of sensor developed by Samsung engineers as an inexpensive and higher quality alternative to the original IPS, with increased brightness and contrast. For a number of reasons, it is used primarily in devices in the middle and higher price ranges.
• — LTPS(Low Temperature Poly Silicon). Technology for producing TFT displays using silicon. Indicators of brightness, contrast and viewing angles are at the level of screens made on the basis of IPS. A key feature of this technology is the ability to embed control electronics directly into the screen, but at the same time these displays remain light and thin. This technology is quite expensive to produce, but due to the fact that there is no need to use additional chips to control the image, the price of the end devices is at an acceptable level.
• — MVA. Abbreviation for "Multi-domain Vertical Alignment". One of the most popular types of VA technology today. It is a kind of transitional option between TN-film and IPS (see above), combining a number of advantages of both types. On the one hand, MVA matrices provide fairly high-quality color reproduction and deep blacks, on the other hand, their response time is not much lower than in TN-film. At the same time, such screens are not without drawbacks: when viewed strictly perpendicularly, the shades of black can be “blurred” and merge, and the color balance as a whole significantly depends on the viewing angle. It is not widely used on tablets.
• - AMOLED. An abbreviation for “Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode,” that is, an active sensor based on organic light-emitting diodes. Unlike most other types of screens, the AMOLED sensor is itself a light source and does not require a separate backlight, which significantly reduces energy consumption. Moreover, such screens are characterized by high quality contrast and color reproduction, and the image on them is clearly visible even in bright external lighting. The main disadvantages of AMOLED are the complexity of production (as a consequence - high price), as well as the tendency to uneven wear ("burnout") of pixels during prolonged operation at high brightness, which can disrupt color rendition. On the other hand, it is very difficult to bring the display to such wear and tear, and AMOLED sensor manufacturers are constantly working on new modifications of the technology designed to eliminate these shortcomings.
• - Super AMOLED. A modified and improved version of AMOLED technology created by Samsung; LG produces such screens under the Ultra AMOLED brand. One of the key improvements to this technology is that in Super AMOLED screens the touch layer is built directly into the display (rather than being made separate). This had a positive effect both on the quality of color reproduction and image brightness, as well as on the accuracy and speed of the sensors. In addition, this type of screen is 20% brighter than original AMOLED, has 80% less glare and consumes 20% less energy.
• — Super Clear TFT. A technology created by Samsung together with Sony as an alternative to Super AMOLED displays (the demand for which was so high that manufacturers simply did not have enough capacity to produce the required quantity). Created on the basis of the usual TFT with some improvements and additions; In terms of image quality, Super AMOLED is somewhat inferior, but not by much, but the production of Super Clear TFT is much cheaper and easier.
• — OLED. Various types of matrices based on organic light-emitting diodes. In terms of features such as color rendering, contrast, power consumption, such screens are similar to the AMOLED ones described above; differences may lie in small details of technology. In general, OLED displays are quite advanced, they are found mainly in high-end tablet models. The main disadvantages of OLED screens are their high price (which, however, is constantly decreasing as the technology develops and improves), as well as the susceptibility of organic pixels to burn out when broadcasting static images or pictures with static elements (notification panel, on-screen buttons, etc.) for a long time. ).

— Sweep frequency. The maximum refresh rate of the display, in other words, the highest frame rate that it can effectively reproduce. The higher this indicator, the smoother and smoother the image is, the less noticeable the “slideshow effect” and blurring of objects when moving on the screen. At the same time, it is worth considering that a refresh rate of 60 Hz, supported by almost any modern tablet, is quite sufficient for most tasks; Even high-definition videos hardly use high frame rates these days. However, high refresh rates - 90 Hz, 120 Hz, 144 Hz - can be useful in games and some other tasks; it also improves the overall experience of the OS interface and applications - moving elements in such interfaces move as smoothly as possible and without blurring.

– HDR. Technology that allows you to expand the dynamic range of the screen. In this case, we mean a range of brightness - simply put, the presence of HDR allows the screen to display brighter whites and darker blacks than on displays without support for this technology. In practice, this gives a noticeable increase in picture quality: the saturation and fidelity of the rendition of various colors improves, and details in very light or very dark areas of the frame do not “drown” in white or black. However, all these advantages become noticeable only if the content being played is originally recorded in HDR. Nowadays, several varieties of this technology are used, here are their features:

• HDR10. Historically the first of the consumer HDR formats, it is extremely popular today: in particular, it is supported by almost all streaming services with HDR content and is standardly used for such content on Blu-ray discs. Provides 10-bits color depth (more than a billion shades). At the same time, on devices with this technology, you can also play HDR10+ format content (see below) - except that its quality will be limited by the capabilities of the original HDR10.
• HDR10+. Improved version of HDR10. With the same color depth (10 bits), it uses so-called dynamic metadata, which allows you to transmit information about the color depth not only for groups of several frames, but also for individual frames. Thanks to this, an additional improvement in color rendering is achieved.
• Dolby Vision. An advanced standard used particularly in professional cinematography. It allows you to achieve a color depth of 12 bits (almost 69 billion shades), uses the dynamic metadata mentioned above, and also makes it possible to transmit two image options at once in one video stream - HDR and regular (SDR). At the same time, Dolby Vision is based on the same technology as HDR10, so in modern electronics this format is often combined with HDR10 or HDR10+.

— Gorilla Glass. Special tempered glass used to cover displays in modern gadgets, including tablets. It is characterized by increased resistance to scratches and impacts; but the specific properties of the Gorilla Glass coating depend on its version. This parameter can also be specified in the tablet's specifications; Here are the most current versions for today:

• Gorilla Glass v3. Released in 2013, but still found in modern devices. This is primarily due to its outstanding scratch resistance: according to this indicator, the third version of the “gorilla” remained unsurpassed right up to 2020 (and Gorilla Glass Victus, which took the lead, is still practically not used in tablets).
• Gorilla Glass v4. Coating created in 2014. The main emphasis during development was on impact resistance, due to which this indicator, compared to the previous version, doubled (with a glass thickness of only 0.4 mm). But the scratch resistance has decreased somewhat.
• Gorilla Glass v5. Version introduced in 2016. Impact resistance, compared to its predecessor, has increased by 1.8 times, due to which such glass remains intact in 100% of cases of a fall from a height of 1.2 m (on a flat hard surface) and in 80% of cases of a fall from a height of 1.6 m. Scratch resistance has also improved somewhat, but this material still does not reach the performance levels of v3.
• Gorilla Glass v6. 2018 version with a focus on improving impact resistance. Twice stronger than version 5, guaranteed to withstand single drops from a height of 1.6 m and multiple drops (up to 15 times in a row) from a height of 1 m.
• Gorilla Glass Victus. After v3, this is the first version of Gorilla Glass where the creators paid as much attention to scratch resistance as shock protection. Victus glass debuted in 2020. Shock resistance for it is declared at the level of 2 m for a single fall and 1 m for multiple falls (up to 20 times in a row).
• Gorilla Glass Victus+. An improved modification of Gorilla Glass Victus, released in 2022. Close to ceramics in terms of scratch resistance. Thus, according to the Mohs mineral scale of hardness, glass begins to scratch at level 7/10, while the original Victus version scratches at level 6/10.

This parameter shows how much of the tablet's front panel area is on the display. The higher the display/body ratio, the thinner the frames and the more compact the tablet (with the same diagonal), the more elegant and aesthetically pleasing it looks. This indicator is also important when holding the tablet with both hands at once (for example, in games): thin frames or even frameless models allow you to reach further with your fingers without removing your hands from the device.

The result shown by a device when undergoing a performance test (benchmark) in the AnTuTu Benchmark.

AnTuTu Benchmark is a comprehensive test designed specifically for mobile devices, primarily smartphones and tablets. It evaluates the performance of the processor, memory, graphics, and input/output systems, providing a clear impression of the system's capabilities. The better the performance, the higher the score. According to AnTuTu, top models are those that score more than 500,000 points.

As with any benchmark, this test does not provide absolute precision; for more details on measurement inaccuracies, see the "3DMark Gamer's Benchmark" section.

The result shown by the device when passing the performance test (benchmark) Geekbench.

Geekbench is a specialized benchmark designed for CPUs. Since version 4.0, the test has also been applied to graphics accelerators; towards the end of 2019, the benchmark was released under the number "5". The characteristics of portable gadgets usually provide data specifically for the CPU. During testing, Geekbench simulates the workloads that occur when performing real-world tasks, and takes into account both the capabilities of a single core and the efficiency of multiple cores running simultaneously. Thanks to this, the final results characterize well the capabilities of the processor in everyday use. In addition, the test is cross-platform and allows you to compare the CPUs of different devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs). The help information only lists the multi-core test values for CPU.

— The number of lenses. The characteristics of the main (rear) camera of the tablet are represented primarily by the number of modules, which in most cases are 1, but there are also tablets with a dual camera.

— Resolution. The second important factor of the camera is the number of megapixels. Many really believe that the more MP, the better the quality of filming. However, this is not entirely true: only the maximum resolution of the resulting images depends on the resolution of the matrix, and their quality is determined by many other parameters. However a large sensor resolution may be a sign of an advanced camera, but this is not necessary — two "eyes" with the same number of megapixels can radically differ in the quality of shooting. Rear cameras in tablets may well be used for photo and video shooting; therefore, they have cameras of 8 MP, 10 MP and even higher (12 and 13 MP).

— Autofocus. For focus in such cameras, a movable lens system controlled by automation is responsible. It takes some time for the automation to work, and the lenses themselves turn out to be more complicated and more expensive than optics with a fixed focus (fixed lenses that are initially set to a large range of distances). However, the quality of the pictures is disproportionate...ly higher than that of cameras without autofocus, and the systems themselves are constantly being improved, and their response time is increasingly approaching instantaneous.

— Flash. Flash significantly expands the capabilities of the camera. First of all, it allows you to shoot in low light conditions; in this case, the backlight, usually, can also be used in the constant glow mode — for video shooting. The second situation where a flash can come in handy is backlighting when the subject is in shadow. In addition, in many tablets, the flash LED can also be used as a regular flashlight, without a camera.

- FM receiver. A feature that allows you to listen to FM radio on your tablet. It should be borne in mind that for reliable reception, you may need to connect wired headphones (usually via a 3.5 mm mini-Jack connector) - their cable in this case will play the role of an antenna.

- Fingerprint scanner. Fingerprint sensor. Used to recognize the user in appropriate situations: when unlocking the tablet, when authorizing in different accounts, when confirming payments, etc. It can be located in different places on the tablet - in front, behind, on the side, on the screen. This authentication method is much more convenient and safer than passwords: they can be forgotten or accidentally opened to strangers, while the finger is not lost, and it is very difficult to fake a fingerprint.

- 3D face scanner. A special technology for recognizing the user's face - not just by photographing, but by building a three-dimensional model of the face based on data from a special module on the front panel. This technology is constantly being improved, in our time it is able to take into account the change in hairstyles and facial hair, the presence of glasses, makeup, etc. At the same time, the recognition of twins and children's faces still remains weak points (they have fewer individual features than adults ). The main use of a face scanner is...authentication when unlocking a tablet, entering applications, making payments, etc. At the same time, other, more original use cases are possible. For example, in some applications, the face scanner reads the user's facial expressions, and then this facial expression is repeated by a smiley on the screen.

- Gyroscope. A device that tracks the rotation of the tablet in space. Modern gyroscopes work on all three axes and are able to determine both the speed and the angle of deviation. This expands the control of the tablet, allowing you to give commands by tilting the device in one direction or another; This feature is especially popular in games.

The capacity of the battery that is normally installed in the tablet.

Theoretically, a larger battery means longer battery life. However, in fact, the battery life of the tablet also depends on its power consumption — and it is influenced by the characteristics of the processor and screen, the installed OS, and other factors. Therefore, only models with similar characteristics can be compared in terms of battery capacity (and even such a comparison will be quite approximate); and to assess battery life, it is best to look at the directly claimed operating time in different modes.